Hill Tracts and Natural Lakes In Bangladesh

.: Rangamati The lake district Views of Lake in Rangamati The picturesque headquarters of Rangamati Hill District, known for its rare scenic beauty and unspoiled tribal life, is just 77 km from Chittagong by road. It is perched on the banks of 680 sq. km man-made Kaptai Lake. The town ship is located on the western banks of Kaptai Lake. Rangamati is a favourite resort because of its beautiful landscape, sweet water lake, colourful bribes, tribal museum, hanging bridge, homespun textile products, ivory jewellery and the tribal men and women who fashion them. For tourists the attraction of Rangamati are numerous tribal life fishing, hiking, bathing or merely enjoying nature as it is Rangamati is connected with Chittagong by high standard road network. Different ethnic groups inhabited in the forest created the harmony of the nature. Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation provides good hotel and cottage accommodation, auditorium and meeting room for corporate events, catering, speed boat and other facilities at Rangamati.

.: Khagrachari The hilltop town

Khagrachari is the district headquarters of Khagrachari hill district. Connected to Chittagong by a 92 km all-weather metalled road, Khagrachari is ringed by thick rain forests that shelter a wide variety of birds and animals. Here you can visit the tribal lifestyle of Chakmas’ in Khagrachari. You can also visit Alutila hill. Approximately 100 meters long a very dark Cave is the mysterious beauty of Alutila hill. For people seeking nature in a restful mood, Khagrachari is the place. Alutilla Cave, Khagrachari

.: Bandarban The roof of Bangladesh

Bandarban is definitely one of the more beautiful places to visit in Bangladesh. The best time to visit the area is during the winter, and it is definitely the season now. Bandarban is a mountainous area and the hills are quite steep. Bandarban town is a small place, but does have its own accommodation as well as shops. The resort at Bandarban is simply wonderfully maintained and is really affordable. The resort is situated on a hilltop and has a spectacular view. For the more adventurous traveller, leaving the resort for Ruma Bazaar by a Chaader Gari (Moon car) may be a better idea.        Hilly view at Bandarban  From Ruma Bazaar taking a boat ride along the Sangu River can be an amazing experience. One can end up at the small tribal village of Ruma, where there is only one boarding made up of thatch. Getting to the picturesque Boga Lake from there is fairly easy, but it is also a 3-hour hike. The views from all the hilltops and plateau's are simply stunning and definitely worth visiting. How to Get There: Take a bus to Chittagong from Dhaka. From Chittagong there are direct buses to Bandarban. The journey from Chittagong to Bandarban is quite an adventurous one and the roads are really twisted.

.: Sylhet The region of tea gardens Tea Garden in Sylhet Sylhet is in the north-eastern part of the country, located in a gentle sloping upland valley between the Khasia, Jaintia and Tripura hills, bordering on Assam. Gentle slopes, rich light soil, a congenial climate and abundant rainfall have made Sylhet one of the largest tea-producing areas in the world. These conditions have also provided rich tropical forests where big game - tiger, panther and wild boar - abound. Tribal life is strong and folk dancing, like the famous Manipuri dance, is still performed by the local tribes. Sylhet city has a strong British influence as almost 90% of Bangladeshi expatriate in the UK come from this region. There are plenty of high class hotels, restaurants and shopping complexes in the city. Most part of Sylhet and rural Sylhet are connected by high speed cable telephone with Dhaka and abroad. A visit by any British foreign office minister to Bangladesh naturally includes a visit to Sylhet. Cyber cafe, satellite TV channel, and electronics markets are common feature in the city. You will never feel out of touch from rest of the world. Sylhet is connected with by rail, road and by air. If you feel like coming out of the city and go around you will see the picturesque Surma valley amidst scenic tea plantations and lush green tropical forests, it is a prime attraction for all tourists. Its terraced tea gardens, eye soothing orange groves and pineapple plantations and hills covered with tropical forests from a beautiful landscape. The Sylhet valley has a good number of haors, which are big natural wetlands. During winter these haors are vast stretches of green land. But in the rainy season they turn into turbulent seas. These haors provide sanctuary to the millions of migratory birds that fly from Siberia across the Himalayas to avoid the severe cold. Srimangal in Sylhet, known as the tea capital of Bangladesh, is the main tea centre of the area. For miles and miles around, the visitor can see the tea gardens spread like green carpet over the plain land or on the slopping hills. A visit to the tea plantation in Sylhet is a memorial experience. Sylhet, the granary of Bangladesh, not only has over 150 gardens but also proudly possesses the three largest tea gardens in the world both in area and production. A stay in one of the rest houses of the tea gardens is a fascinating one. Sylhet is also known as the land of the famous Muslim saint Hazrat Shah Jalal (RA), the great torch bearer of Islam to this region. The shrine of this great saint is located at Sylhet town. Another famous shrine of this town is the shrine of Hazrat Shah Paran (RA). Colourful Monipuri, Khasia and Garo tribes live in Sylhet. Monipur tribal maidens are famous for their dance. Sylhet is also well known for its wide variety of exquisite handicrafts of cane and bamboo. Sylhet is linked with Dhaka by rail, road and air. About 3 km. from Dakhinbagh railway station there is the famous waterfall of Madhabkunda. It attracts number of tourists every year. Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation offers restaurant, retiring room, picnic and parking facilities for the visitors there. Tamabil – Jaflong: Jaflong: Natural Stone lake Situated amidst splendid panorama, Tamabil is a border outpost on Sylhet - Shilong road, about 55 km. Away from Sylhet town. Besides enchanting views of the area one can also have a glimpse of the waterfall across the border from Tamabil. Jaflong is also a scenic spot nearby amidst tea gardens and rare beauty of rolling stones from hills. Other places of tourist attraction in Sylhet include Moulavibazar, Jaintiapur and Haripur gas field.

.: Mymensingh The birthplace of Shilpacharjya Zainul Abedin

The greater Mymensingh district stretches from the plains north of Dhaka to the Garo foothills that edge the northern border with India. There are many aboriginal tribes along the northern frontier of the district such as Garos, Hajongs and Kochis who are ethnically quiet distinct from the people around them. Garo Women Village Life Santhal Mymensingh has earned an important position in Bangla literature for its rich folklores and folk songs. On the road from Dhaka to Mymensingh there is a national park and game sanctuary at Madhupur about 160 km from Dhaka. There are a number of reserve forests in the area with rest-houses and picnic spots. The famous painter Zainul Abedin’s Art Gallery at Mymensingh town is worth visitor. Mymensingh also carries the boyhood memories of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.

.: Foy's Lake Lake with wonderful scenery Scenic view of Foy's Lake Foy's Lake, an artificial lake constructed by the Assam-Bengal railway in 1924 near Khulshi not far from the Pahartali Railway Station in Chittagong. This lake is fairly big in size and was created by erecting an embankment across a narrow valley from one hill top to the other. Geologically, these hills are composed of dupi tila formation. There is another artificial lake close to the south of the Pahartali Railway Station, which was excavated by the same railway authority in 1920. Both the lakes are tourist spots of Chittagong city and are regularly visited by local and foreign tourists. In order to attract more tourists, a mini-zoo has been set up at the entrance of the Foy's Lake. Both the lakes are intended to serve as reservoirs for drinking water to the extensive railway areas of Chittagong.

.: Ramu The great ancient evidence of King Ashok

Ramu is a typical Buddhist village, about 10 km from Cox's Bazar, on the main road to Chittagong. The village has a number of colourful pagodas and Khyangs and monasteries where one can see icons and statues of Buddha in gold, bronze and other metals inlaid with precious stones. One of these pagodas on the Baghkhali River houses a 13 feet tall bronze status of Buddha that rests a six feet high pedestal. The pagoda also contains some interesting relics and rare Burmese handicraft. Rubber Garden in Ramu Ramkut Temple Weavers ply their trade in open workshops and craftsmen make handmade cigars in their pagoda like houses. Ramu, is still virtually standing very old and beautiful Ramkut temple as a great ancient evidence of the King Ashok. And this temple was established in all likelihood in 308 before Christ. More Details: mashud.mail@gmail.com II Call: +8801711446301, +8801616003131 Visit: www.annextravel.com